The Idea of You Movie Review

Anne Hathaway, who has starred in hits such as “The Princess Diaries,” “The Devil Wears Prada,” and “Love and Other Drugs,” scores with this romantic comedy set in L.A. that you root for, no matter how hard it wants you not to.

I say that because every chance Anne’s character Solène, a 40-year-old single mother, gets a chance to, she has you cringing. She can be frustrating. Such a strong feeling in me, Solène elicits! She will for you, too. Under strange circumstances, Solène, very reluctantly, ends up the chaperone of her daughter Izzy, Ella Rubin (The Girl from Plainville), and Izzy’s friends to a show at the Coachella music festival. She’d rather be sitting in her dark house all alone, but anything to make the teen happy, right? Her daughter runs off to have fun, but the tickets are VIP, so the bored mom wanders into the VIP section. Soon after, she heads to what she thinks is the bathroom, accidentally ending up in the trailer of Hayes, a pop sensation played by Nicholas Galitzine from “Red, White & Royal Blue.”

Though she’s uncomfortable, they end up talking and having a nice time. It’s strange to see the actress from “The Princess Diaries” play the older woman to anyone, but I guess it has been a while since that movie. She does act a bit silly while chatting with him, instantly feeling a warmth in her belly that she hasn’t felt since her husband ran off with a much younger woman than she. Hayes is a doll and is falling in love, on a mature level, for the first time. He has been shaken to his core.

Solène brushes off the encounter, but then he shows up at her art gallery. This is a saccharine filled scene straight from Notting Hill. Not exactly, but “The Idea of You” has a noticeable likeness. Not a bad film to be compared to, but it’s begging for it. Art gallery. Bookshop. They’re not too far apart. Shove two pretty people together, add chemistry, and let them do their thing; these two sure do that. The first few kisses they shared, I thought they were going to pull away with bruised faces. He didn’t hold back. Soon after, she meets him in New York and with the time Zone changes, she’s become the more aggressive one, showing up in the kind of pumps good girls don’t wear. It sizzles in his hotel.

The young man is about to go on tour. Since Izzy is off to summer camp, perhaps Solène could go with him, he lovingly ponders. After some time, she decides to go, under the guise that she is his art consultant. They have a great time until the difference in their ages is shoved in her face by the other members of his group and the young ladies they spend their time with. After an embarrassing moment where she’s made fun of straight to her face, she takes a long, hard look in the mirror and sees… a mother.

Hayes is twenty-four. Solène is not. She’s the Lordy, Lordy age. What this story is really about is that women have always been told that they should stay in their own lane. If you’re female, once you hit a certain age, you are to love your age or older than you, not younger. It’s unacceptable for a gorgeous young pop star to be with some random older woman. Young girls want him, so he should want them, too!

This has very strong messages of hypocrisy, sexism, and ageism, and they punch through the romance playing out. The movie is charming, but there are times when it asks a little too much. However, isn’t that what most romance movies do? Graham Norton makes an appearance. He lends credence to the story. When Solène becomes a complete contradiction, I almost lost it, but if you love love or the IDEA of love, you’ll enjoy this movie. The soundtrack is fitting and decent, and the performances are strong.

“The Idea of You” comes out today on Prime, so put it in your queue to watch two people grow… together and apart.